Legacy
by The Gryffindor Seeker
Summary: Chloe's mother died and has left behind a legacy passed down from a Gryffindor ancestor. Chloe must undergo a great task, she'll find danger, adventure and true love and she cannot do it alone. Please r/r
1. Madame Squat's Physic Shop

  
  
Madame Squat's Physic Shop  
Chapter 1 of Legacy.  
I do not own the characters; they're all property of Ms. J.K. Rowling, oh, except for Chloe. ;)  
My first fan fic, the story will be continued when I have time. In the meantime, review and make suggestions, please.  
  
  
Chloe stood in the rain eyeing the peeling letters of a very battered looking sign hanging outside of Madame Squat's physic shop. This was considered the bad part of town but Chloe had no other place to be since she had just run away from home. She lived with her father and his new wife who had never taken to Chloe since she was a reminder of Sara, Chloe's mother. Sara had been a witch and died mysteriously leaving Chloe and her father, Arthur, behind. Once Arthur began dating Clarice, Chloe began drifting from her father. Now that Clarice was married to Chloe's father, Chloe was seen as a nuisance in the newlywed's lives.   
  
A bolt of lightning streaked the sky and low rumbles of thunder could be heard coming from the east. Chloe shivered and placed a rain soaked palm on the doorknob of the small shop. Shaking slightly, Chloe turned the knob and entered the drab and cramped foyer. Upon glancing around, she spotted a small bell on a low desk. Chloe reached out to ring for assistance but was stopped when a crunching sound was heard from behind a violet curtain to the back of the foyer. Curiously, Chloe started toward the curtain. Before she could reach for the curtain, a frail, haggish looking old woman appeared as if from no where.   
  
"You wouldn't want to go in there, dearie," said the hag in a raspy voice.  
  
Half-shocked from the sudden appearance of the woman Chloe mumbled a reply.   
  
"S-s-sorry.i didn't mean."  
  
"To intrude," said the hag as she finished Chloe's sentence.  
  
"Yeah..." muttered Chloe is response. "Are you Madame Squat?...I just wanted a reading.how much are they?" asked Chloe in a small voice.  
  
The hag looked at Chloe for a minute and then responded in the same raspy tone.  
"10 pounds for a half hour reading."  
  
Chloe reached into her small traveling bag and fished out 10 pounds. She hadn't had much money with her but Madame Squat's readings were worth the 10 pounds according to Chloe's friends. She dropped the crumpled bills into the hag's out stretched hand. After stuffing the money into her robes, the hag gestured for Chloe to sit in one of the 2 wooden chairs that the cramped foyer contained.  
  
"Let me see your palm," demanded the hag and Chloe did so.   
Madame Squat reached a knarled, bony hand out and clutched Chloe's palm. What seemed like an hour passed as the frail woman examined Chloe's hand.  
  
"You're seventeen and on the run with no place to go..." said the hag.  
  
Chloe nodded in reply.  
  
"You have a long life ahead of you but something needs to be cleared up before you can live happily. You are an ancestor to a famous wizard, Godric Gryffindor and you must carry on his legacy."  
  
Chloe had no idea what the physic was talking about, her mother had been a witch but Chloe was raised as a muggle child and knew nothing of the wizarding world. "And what legacy could I possibly carry on?" thought Chloe, "I'm not special."  
  
"Perhaps there has been some mistake," said Chloe, I'm not a wizard, I'm just an ordinary girl, nothing more."  
  
"Silence!" demanded the witch, "do not talk during the reading!"  
  
Chloe shuffled in the wooden chair, her arm was getting tired from holding her palm up for so long.  
  
The hag continued, "you must undergo a great deal of danger to complete your ancestors journey and you will not do it alone." "I see a boy, you need him to be successful in your travels, I do not know his name but you will know him when you see him, he is your soul mate. You will find him in 3 hours time."  
  
The hag finally released Chloe's hand, she said "a perilous trip awaits you, I'll get you started, for the entire wizarding world counts on your success. The task that awaits you must be completed in no more than one month, or all shall be doomed."  
With that the witch reached into her cloak and brought out a quill and some parchment. She scrawled a quick letter and rolled up the parchment before Chloe could read what she had written. Slowly, the physic rose and creakily made her way to the back of the foyer and disappeared behind the violet curtain. She returned holding a black owl with the parchment letter tied to its leg.   
  
"Stormy weather," muttered the witch as she went to the door and threw the owl out into the night.   
  
Chloe was baffled as to what the woman had just done and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The witch then snapped her fingers and a roaring fire appeared in the fireplace behind Chloe. Chloe had never seen magic before but knew it existed since her mother was a witch. Astonished as to what the frail woman had just done, Chloe rose from her seat and was about to ask the witch how she had started the fire but was interrupted by the hag's noisy coughing. After the coughing fit, the woman reached into her robes once again and drew out a small jar filled with blue powder, she reached into the jar and threw a pinch of the powder into the fire, which abruptly turned emerald green.   
  
"Step into the fire and say 'hogwarts'," said the witch.  
  
Chloe looked at her as if she was a mad woman and shook her head.  
  
"Trust me, girl, it's magic," answered the witch.  
  
Chloe slowly stepped forward, bringing her near empty traveling bag with her and uttered the strange word 'hogwarts' and she stepped into the fire.  
The small physic shop became a blur as Chloe was sucked into the fireplace and down a long passageway. Not knowing where she was going to end up, Chloe silently prayed that the whirling would stop as soon as she got there.  
Suddenly, as if a carnival ride had ended, Chloe fell face first out of a fireplace, hitting the hearth hard, the last thing she saw was what appeared to be a dormitory in a castle, complete with a few four-poster beds.  
  



	2. Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty  
Chapter 2 of Legacy  
  
  
Gryffindor tower was desolate, only Harry Potter was present in the darkened 7th year's dorm. The rest of the Gryffindor students were away, they were on a trip to visit another wizarding academy and would not return for another week. Harry was supposed to attend with his schoolmates but was banned for being caught outside the castle a few nights earlier. Recently, Harry could not think straight, he had the feeling that there was something he had to do but he could not figure out what exactly it was. He couldn't sleep; his mind was always on something else, on a constant search. He felt compelled to visit the forbidden forest, as if he had to prevent something from happening there. Late one night, he had put on his father's invisibility cloak and made his way toward the forest, but was caught by his least favorite teacher, Severus Snape. Snape was more than happy to prevent Harry from attending the trip with the other Gryffindor's.   
  
Harry stood at the window of his dorm in Gryffindor tower, staring out into the night, past the forbidden forest, when his thoughts were disturbed by a loud smacking sound. He whirled around and squinted in the darkness to see what had caused the sound. "What can be in Gryffindor tower at this hour?," thought Harry.  
  
"Who's there?" Harry whispered to the darkness but only silence greeted him.   
  
He slowly made his way toward where the sound had come from and noticed a figure on the hearth of the long burnt out fireplace. The figure came into focus as Harry's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he realized it was a girl.   
  
Harry pulled out his wand and muttered "Lumos."   
  
She was a small girl, young in appearance with dark brown hair hanging in wet tendrils around her face. She was incredibly pale in the wandlight and appeared to be unconscious. Harry was strangely attracted to the slumbering girl, it was almost as if she was the thing he been seeking for the past few days. Curious as to how this girl had arrived, Harry opened the small suitcase that lay at her feet, it contained a few garments and a tattered wizard's picture of a young woman who was beaming. He looked at the photo for a few seconds and the smiling woman winked at him. Harry felt as though he should not be going through somebody else's things and he quickly stuffed the clothes and photo back into the bag.   
  
He looked at the girl, she appeared so peaceful, bathed in the small circle of light cast from his wand. Without thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her very softly on the lips and pushed her hair away from her face. Before he could lean back, his glasses slid off his nose and hit the girl on the forehead, her eyes fluttered opened, they were a deep green, different than Harry's eyes but still a true green, almost like ripe summer olives. She seemed confused and she reached to shield her eyes from the bright wandlight,   
  
"Are you him?" she murmured.  
  



	3. Prince Charming

Prince charming  
Chapter 3 of Legacy  
  
  
  
As the room slid into focus, the figure above her became clearer. Chloe lifted her head and tried to get up but he pushed her back down.  
  
"Careful, you have a nasty bump there," said the mysterious boy.  
.  
Chloe wasn't sure if this was a dream or not, the last she remembered was being sucked into a fireplace and taken for a wild ride, then ending up in this boy's house or something. Now that everything was clear, Chloe looked up at the boy, he had vivid green eyes, like emeralds and thick, jet black hair, he was rather short for a guy and very pale. As she looked at him, her heart seemed to literally skip a beat, she wasn't very aware of her surroundings but she felt very aware of him.  
  
"It's you, you're him, she was right," mumbled Chloe as she tried to gain her bearings, her head still hurt.   
  
"I'm not sure whom you mean, but I'm Harry," he said.  
  
"How did you find me?" asked Chloe, still somewhat bewildered.  
  
Harry shook his head and said, "I think it was Iyou/i who found me, actually. I reckon you used floo powder to get here, funny, I didn't know hogwarts was connected to the floo network."  
  
"Hogwarts!" exclaimed Chloe, "that's it! I'm here to carry on my ancestors quest or something, she told me to say hogwarts, she said I'd find you."  
  
"Erm...I think you hit your head a bit harder than I thought, perhaps you should lie down on something a bit more comfortable than the floor and I'll fetch Dumbledore."  
  
"No wait!" Chloe sat up, "don't go anywhere yet, I need to know who you are."  
  
Harry halted and said, "you mean you don't recognize me? You must be from the muggle world..."  
  
Chloe replied, "I was raised as a muggle but I just found out that I'm a witch...and that I have a quest and a soul ma - erm, nevermind."  
  
"A what?" asked Harry, as he helped Chloe to her feet.  
  
"I'll explain later, I'm feeling a bit dizzy, right now."  
  
He guided her over to one of the four posters and said, "you can rest here for a while until you feel better."  
  
"Thank you," murmured Chloe as she sat on the bed.  
  
Chloe looked around and noticed there were five 4-posters in all, with a trunk set at the base of each one. "Is this a dormitory or sorts?" she asked.  
  
"Well, yes, it's a wizarding school, actually," he said.  
  
"Wow," said Chloe as she lay back on the bed.  
  
He turned to go once more but Chloe called to him, "did you...by any chance...kiss me before?"  
  
He turned bright red and seemed to become very interested in his shoes. "er...no...no, I um.. Just..." he stuttered.  
  
"Oh." whispered Chloe, her face falling.  
  
Harry shifted uncomfortably and then went for the door but halted and asked, "oh, by the way, what is your name?"  
  
"Chloe. Chloe Baudelaire. It was nice meeting you Mr. Potter," said Chloe, going slightly red.  
  
"How'd you know my last name?"  
  
Chloe thought for a moment, she hadn't even realized she had said his last name, "Potter," she thought..."It seems like I know him, already..." she wondered aloud, "my very own prince charming," she whispered.  
  
Harry nodded and said "do get a bit of rest, then, you took a bad fall." he turned and left, leaving Chloe with her baffled thoughts.  
  
Chloe didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she had just arrived at a wizarding school with magic everywhere and she'd found Harry Potter...but then again, she had to figure out what to do in order to complete Godric Gryffindor's legacy and how to do it safely...  



	4. 3 days time...

Three days time  
chapter 4 of 'Legacy'  
  
  
  
Harry gently closed the door to the 7th year's room and made his way down to the portrait hole to get Dumbledore. The fire was still burning in the fireplace, casting shadows on the armchairs of the common room. A slight tapping broke the silence of the desolate common room, Harry ignored the small sound and was about to climb through the portrait hole when he stopped and noticed that the tapping was coming from the common room window. A black owl was fluttering around outside, a letter tied to its leg. He crossed the room and opened the window, he had never seen a black owl before and assumed they were rare. Once the window was open, the owl swooped in and landed on one of the armchairs, it remained still while Harry untied the letter and then it swooped off into the night. "Who would send an owl to the common room? All post was received in the Great Hall at breakfast, but this was a strange owl. Harry unrolled the thick parchment of the letter and was startled when he read it to himself. The parchment contained one sentence, scrawled in red ink, it said:  
"You'll both be dead in three days time."  
"What the-," whispered Harry. "This must be a prank...but Fred and George are much too busy with the joke shop to be up to their old mischief..." he thought. "And this isn't funny...wait...it must be...I knew he'd pull something like this!" exclaimed Harry and he stormed through the portrait hole and toward the Slytherin room.  
  
He half walked, half ran down toward the dungeons, as he reached the door he muttered, "crucio," an entranceway to the common room slid open. Harry had found out the Slytherin password by mistake a few weeks earlier, Ron and him had been walking to the dungeons when the cruciatus curse came up in conversation, when Ron said "crucio," the door had opened. Harry was fuming by the time he got up the stairs to the 7th years Slytherin dorm, he slammed the door open and shook Malfoy awake. "Wake up, you stupid git!" he yelled.  
"Potter? What the hell are you doing in here? Is this a joke?" mumbled a half-asleep Draco.  
"Yeah, Malfoy, a joke, just like your little letter!" exclaimed Harry, going red in the face.  
"What are you talking about, I didn't send you any letter, do you have any idea what time it is, Potter? I know your into walking around in the middle of the night bit I'M not!" said Malfoy in his usual drawl.  
"This letter," yelled Harry shoving the letter under Malfoy's nose.  
Malfoy looked at it. "Dead in three days? Good for you, but I didn't send this, so leave."  
  
"Yes you did, so quit lying! How'd you know about her?"  
  
"Who's her? if you talking about that Granger mudblood, I wouldn't care if she were to be dead in 3 days so I wouldn't bother to write you, your highness," added Malfoy sarcastically.  
  
"Just shut up, it had to be you, who else's family could afford a black owl?!" Harry was trying to keep his voice low, if any of the other Slytherins woke, Harry'd be in Snape's office quicker than he could say "detention."  
  
"A black owl? They're a sign of dark magic and they're illegal, if we'd had one we wouldn't have it fly around delivering warnings to you, freak." Malfoy attempted to lay back down but Harry seized his pajamas, "Dammit, Malfoy, if I find out that you're behind this, you'll be sorry."  
  
"Whatever, Potter, just get out," said Draco as he pulled the covers over his head.  
  
Harry went to the door, still shaking with anger as he swung it open and marched back to the Slytherin common room and out toward Dumbledore's office. Harry was nearly there when he stopped and realized that it was 3 A.M. "oh right...I forgot it was the middle of the night, I'll get Dumbledore in the morning," Harry thought.  
  
His mind reeled all the way back to Gryffindor tower, "What did they mean by both?" he thought, "Me and Chloe?" His mind drifted back to the suspicious arrival of Chloe and he remembered kissing her when she had been unconscious. "Why didn't I tell her I had kissed her when she asked?" he scolded himself, "why idid/i I kiss her?." He thought about it all the way up to the portrait hole and when the fat lady asked for the password he had inadvertently said "Chloe," instead if the password (grindylow). The fat lady gave Harry a quizzical look and said "excuse me? who's Chloe?."   
"Nevermind, the password is 'grindylow," he replied, going slightly red.  
"Whatever you say," answered the portrait as she swung forward to admit him back into Gryffindor tower.  



	5. The Amulet

  
  
  
The Amulet  
Chapter 5 of Legacy  
  
--------------------------scene change-----back to Madame Squat's Physic Shop---------  
  
Madame Squat sat in one of the low, wooden chairs staring into her fireplace. She held an amulet in her left hand and was stroking it with her right while muttering words in Latin. The amulet suddenly grew hot, burning the hag's fingertips, she dropped it to the floor and muttered the final words of the incantation. The spell was complete, her master would be pleased to know the task was going smoothly. Once worn, the amulet would curse its wearer. It would become part of that person, impossible to remove, then it would drain the witch or wizard of their powers and eventually drain their life, as well. Madame Squat could not be sure the victims would be stupid enough to put it on so she placed a powerful charm on it so whoever discovered the amulet would give it to the girl. This was vital to the plan, if the amulet did not destroy Gryffindor's ancestor, the dark side would never come back to its full power. This had been attempted before, the amulet drained Gryffindor's ancestor of her life and power but something went wrong and the power could not be obtained for evil purposes, the magical energy taken from that witch remained in the amulet, untouchable and useless to Voldemort. That witch perished due to the amulet and all hope of the dark side triumphing was temporarily lost. t wasn't until recently that it was discovered that there was one more of Gryffindor's descendants still alive, another young girl, but this time the plan would be a success and darkness would reign over the wizarding community again. A background check on this girl, Chloe Baudelaire, revealed much useful information. A mistake had been made and although Chloe was a half-blooded witch, she did not attend Hogwarts, she was unaware of her abilities and heritage, a muggle uneducated of the wizarding world. The stars revealed even more pertinent information about this girl, her destiny included Harry Potter, the boy who had caused the downfall of Lord Voldemort on more than one occasion. t was by coincidence that Harry Potter and this girl were soul mates, a perfect match, the Potter boy would seek assistance to remove the amulet from his beloved and sacrifice himself for her. The amulet's curse could only be broken when a loved one of the wearer dies for another. The girl would be too drained by the time he saves her, they would both perish despite any attempt at savior.  
  
The violet curtain behind where the hag was sitting rustled and a short, bald man emerged from behind the curtain. He had watery eyes and was rather rat-like.   
  
"Has he given anymore orders, Wormtail?" asked the seated witch, her anxiousness obvious in her voice.  
  
"Yes, the boy has received the owl, deliver the amulet before dawn," he replied.  
  
"Yes, yes, of course, tell him it shall be done," she gushed, bowing.   
  
Hogwarts was inaccessible to Voldemort, a powerful barrier against evil protected the castle and it's grounds. This barrier may have been powerful, but not impossible to penetrate. If a black owl invaded the grounds on the night of a full moon, the barrier would fade for a limited time, thus allowing evil onto the grounds.  
  
"He told me to warn you that if her full powers are not contained within the pendant, the whole plan fails and you will pay," added Wormtail coldly before sweeping out of the room. Madame Squat whimpered to the now empty room and drew out her wand. She pointed the wand at the amulet and said "transportus." The necklace vanished from the dusty room of the physic shop and reappeared on the floor of Gryffindor tower.  
  
------------------scene change-----back to hogwarts----------------  
  
Harry stepped through the portrait hole, the black owl and it's message now grating his brain. He strode over to the staircase and stepped on something near the foot of the stairs. He looked down and saw a pendant of sorts on a thin, silver chain. The charm was circular and contained a single stone in its center, it appeared to be a ruby. Harry picked the amulet up and watched it gleam in the light cast from the candles along the stairway walls. He was suspicious of the amulet, something about it seemed evil, but in a few seconds time Harry felt lightheaded and his suspicions quickly faded, a thought occurred to him as if from nowhere, he should give the amulet to Chloe. He walked upstairs and pushed open the seventh year's door, it creaked on its aged hinges as it opened.   
  
  
Chloe was asleep on his bed, she seemed to having a dream, and she kept tossing and turning. Harry felt his chest tighten, "why do I feel this way about her if I've just met her?" he wondered. As if sensing his presence, Chloe woke, seeming startled.  
  
"Harry, oh no, the dream, we're in danger, the legacy..." she was babbling frantically.  
  
"Calm down, just tell me about it, I think something's up, too, look what came in the post," he said, handing her the roll of parchment that the black owl delivered.  
  
She read the letter and gasped, "I don't know what to do, I was just a girl, I ran away and now I have a legacy to fulfill, death to worry about, and...and...there's something about you.." she added, looking up into his eyes, "it's like I've known you forever...but...nevermind..."  
  
"I think I feel the same thing, you just showed up here and I didn't even question it, I feel like it was meant to be so I should trust it.." he looked away, suddenly feeling embarrassed.  
  
"yeah...," she added, "that's exactly it, she told me I would find you.."  
  
"Who told you?," asked Harry, sounding confused.  
  
Chloe took a deep breath before continuing. "Okay...I went to a physic who turned out to be a witch also, she read my palm and told me I need to complete my ancestors legacy in order to live happily, she said I could not do it alone, that I need a boy, one that I would find, a soul mate...", she cast her eyes down, "and she threw some blue powder into the fireplace and sent me here, where I found you, it was fate, I guess..."  
  
"Wow...did she...uh...say anything else about this legacy...and about me being a part of it?"  
  
"Well," Chloe started, "she said the entire wizarding world depended on the outcome and then she wrote a letter and tied it to a black owl...oh, my ancestor is Godric Gryffindor, but my dream-" she was suddenly cut off by Harry.  
  
"Wait! She sent an owl, a black owl?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah," she just tied the letter to its leg and sent it like nothing, why?"  
  
"I think this physic was bad news...", muttered Harry.  
  
"I think so, too, according to my dream she's out to get us...but not just her...somebody else...somebody powerful...I couldn't see him in my dream but he was a dark figure, very tall and thin, he had a cold voice...he wanted to gain back power or something.."  
  
"Voldemort!," exclaimed Harry, "He's behind this! What else happened in the dream, what do you have to do exactly to carry on the legacy?"  
  
"Well...this sounds stupid but...just stay alive....I heard that Vole-whatever guy talking with Madame Squat, apparently my being alive prevents him from gaining full control of the wizarding community, Godric Gryffindor cast a spell to prevent evil from succeeding as long as a relative of his is alive and since my mom died, I'm the last living relative, I guess."  
  
Harry was silent for a while after Chloe told him of the dream, he spoke after a few minutes, "I don't understand, Voldemort can't come to Hogwarts, Dumbledore's made sure that we're totally protected on these grounds...he must have a plan.."  
  
Chloe reached over and took Harry's hand, "Well, if he can't touch us, why are you so worried?"  
  
Harry looked up at Chloe, she seemed radiant even in the shadows of the room, he remembered how the amulet sparkled in the candlelight and Chloe's eyes seemed to gleam in the moonlight. He held up the amulet to her, "take this, it's meant for you," he whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.   
  
"You did!," exclaimed Chloe.  
  
"Did what?"  
  
"You did kiss me before!" exclaimed Chloe, laughing. Harry blushed slightly but didn't reply.  
  
"Here, put it on," said Harry as he unfastened the clasp of the necklace and draped it around Chloe's neck.  
  
"It's beautiful, thank you," she said, glancing down at the amulet which felt warm against her skin.  
  
"It's nearly dawn, perhaps we should get some sleep before we attempt to complete any legacies," he said with playful smile.  
  
Chloe laughed and nodded, "good idea."  
  
Harry fell into a restless sleep, he dreamt of his parent's deaths again and relived the green flash of light followed by Voldemort's cold, cruel laughter.  
  
The amulet tingled against Chloe's skin. She felt fatigued and she, too, fell into a fitful slumber.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Fear

Legacy  
Legacy  
Chapter 6-  
Fear  
  
Ok, this chapter is a lot longer than the others are and it also took me along time to publish. I apologize for that, there may be some errors in it, if so, just point them out and they'll be fixed ASAP. Some of this chapter seems unexplained or unlikely but it'll be explained it upcoming chapters. Be patient and please, please, please REVIEW AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS!  
  
  
The next morning, Harry awoke before Chloe, he silently dressed and headed for Dumbledore's office. He intended to explain Chloe's appearance at Hogwarts the night before and to tell him of the black owl's haunting message. Peeves the poltergeist was blocking the corridor leading to Dumbledore's office and he looked to be in an especially mischievous mood. Harry attempted to get around the floating and bobbing Peeves but failed, he breathed an exasperated sigh, "I've got no time for this Peeves, I need Dumbledore's help." Peeves merely cackled and continued blocking the corridor, "Peeves MOVE NOW!, " shouted Harry as he tried to run past the poltergeist. "Potter's not as fast on solid ground as he is in mid air!," taunted Peeves, he then broke into a fit of laughter but abruptly stopped as the bloody baron appeared. Harry wasn't usually too pleased to bump into the bloody baron, but his presence was welcome now. Peeves disappeared in a puff of smoke as the bloody baron approached and Harry ran down the corridor towards the gargoyle statue that stood guard in front of Dumbledore's office. Luckily, the password hadn't been changed since Harry had last visited Dumbledore here. "Cockroach cluster," said Harry and the gargoyle sprang aside admitting Harry into the office. He climbed the spiral stairs and knocked on the headmaster's door. "Come in" came Dumbledore's aged voice. Harry pushed open the oak door and entered Dumbledore's circular office, it looked the same since his last visit. "How can I help you, Harry? asked Dumbledore. Harry slunk into the chair in front of Dumbledore, the office was a bit far from Gryffindor tower.   
  
"Professor, something has happened and we need your help."  
  
"Go ahead," said Dumbledore, turning his attention to Harry.  
  
"Well, last night a girl arrived in Gryffindor tower by means of floo powder-her name is Chloe and she's in great danger..."  
  
Harry explained the entire story to Dumbledore, saving the letter part for last. He neglected to mention one thing, the amulet.  
  
At the mention of the black owl Dumbledore's eyes shone and he suddenly became quite grave looking.  
  
As Harry's story came to a close Dumbledore stood up and began pacing his office, deep in thought.  
  
"What should we do, Professor?," asked Harry, looking nervous at the headmaster's reaction.  
  
Dumbledore sighed deeply and asked to speak with Chloe when she awoke. Harry stood and started to leave when Dumbledore stopped him.  
  
"Harry, do you know what it means for a black owl to appear on the grounds?"  
  
"No, I don't.." said Harry, looking startled.  
  
"Well, this is not good, not good at all, I fear I shall have to contact the minister of magic about this, once a black owl invades the school grounds on the night of a full moon, the protective barrier that shields hogwart's from evil fades and allows evil onto the grounds...I'm going to have to ask you to stay inside, don't leave Gryffindor tower if possible."  
  
"But professor-" started Harry but he was interrupted.  
  
"Harry, dementors will have to be called onto the grounds, I hate to have to do this but this sort of situation calls for drastic action, and dementors are indeed drastic."  
  
Harry nodded and left the office. Dementors were horrible creatures, feeding off the fears and emotions of humans. On numerous occasions, Harry had had bad experiences with dementors, experiences he'd never want to relive. But with Voldemort able to set foot on school grounds this was just a safety precaution and if Dumbledore didn't suggest it, the minister of magic would insist hogwart's be closed until the barrier restored itself.  
  
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Chloe was walking through some sort of plush growth, an overgrown forest. The soft moss sank easily under her shoes with each step. There was a clearing up ahead, moonlight shone through the thick tree limbs lighting fragments of the forest floor like shards of a broken mirror. Faintly, a cold laugh could be heard coming from the clearing. Chloe approached, undaunted by the mirthless laughter which was rising as she neared. Animals could be heard shifting about the forest on either side of her path and the laughter grew still. She stepped into the clearing at last and her eyes adjusted to the brightness, there was much more light here since there were no trees to block of the moonbeams.   
The clearing was empty at first glance but a figure was seen in the far corner, standing rather still and waiting. The laughter abruptly stopped when Chloe spotted the figure and she moved forward. The winded picked up and ruffled Chloe's hair as she walked, the figure remained unmoving and soon took shape. It was a woman, her chestnut brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she wore a long, flowing green cloak. Chloe tried to recall where she'd seen her before, then she remembered, this woman was her mother. Realization dawned on Chloe's face and the cloaked woman began to cry. "Mom," Chloe tried to say but no sound came out, just air. Her mother shook her head when Chloe tried to speak again and more tears streaked her face, slowly she rose a delicate hand from under the cloak and pointed to her neck, sobbing quietly. Chloe didn't understand and tried to speak again but was only able to mouth words. The laughter started again, this time louder than before and Chloe was thrown back. Her mother continued pointed at her throat as the laughter reached a crescendo, Chloe struggled to her feet and ran toward her mother. She kept running but she never seemed to reach her despite the short distance, the laughter was deafening now and her mother shrieked before dissolving into a puff of smoke, a dark shadow appeared where her mother had been. Slowly the shadow took the form of a man, tall and thin, cruel looking, he was laughing but just before he took full form Chloe was thrown back again. This time she was thrown back into reality. She sat bolt upright in bed and rubbed her eyes.   
Chloe pulled back the red, velvety curtains from the four-poster and blinked in the harsh daylight that was filtering in from the narrow windows. She walked over to the mirror and inspected her appearance. Her hair had come undone from the braid it was once in and her tee shirt and jeans were rumpled, she sighed at her mottled reflection and was about to turn away when she noticed how brightly the amulet around her neck was glowing. "Weird," she muttered to herself before grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweater from her overnight bag. She crossed the dormitory to the dimly lit bathroom and turned on the shower water. As the water was heating up she removed her watch, bracelet and an opal ring and placed them on the counter as she fumbled with the clasp of her necklace. After several minutes of trying to undo the clasp she gave up, "must be jammed, ah well, hope it won't rust," she thought as she stepped into the shower.  
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Harry stopped by the Great Hall to bring some breakfast up to Chloe, he didn't want to stay downstairs since he was the only 7th year Gryffindor to be left behind from the trip. After grabbing a few servings of toast and eggs he headed back toward the door, careful to avoid Malfoy's outstretched foot, all he needed was to fall in front of the Slytherins and be splattered with eggs so early in the morning.   
  
He started climbing the stairs, careful not to drop anything on the way, Harry was just about at the top when he felt a sudden chill behind him. He whirred around on the stairs and came face to face with Severus Snape, his least favorite Hogwarts teacher. Harry didn't say anything and tried to continue on his way when Snape stopped him.  
  
"What are you up to, Potter?" asked Snape as he eyed the armful of food Harry was carrying.  
  
"N-Nothing, Professor" said Harry, trying to keep on Snape's good side.  
  
"You've got a lot of food there for just yourself…all of your little friends are away, shame you had to miss that little field trip, Potter." Snape's lips curled into a thin smile. "You're rather scrawny, Potter, I doubt you're intending on downing all that food on you own."  
  
"I'm just hungry, that's all.." retorted Harry, trying to sound casual, as if he always ate 2 breakfasts.  
  
"Who are you hiding?" asked Snape suspiciously.  
  
Harry was beginning to lose his patience, "I'm NOT up to anything! I'm just hungry, ok?!"  
  
"I bet…well, if you're that hungry perhaps you should eat right away, the Great Hall is much closer, why don't you eat there?" It was obvious that Snape wasn't going to let Harry go.  
  
"I'd really rather eat in my common room, thank you." Harry did his best to not sound strained.  
  
"Come along, Potter, I want to see you eat all of that on your own."  
  
Feeling defeated, Harry followed Snape back to the Great Hall and sat down rather tensely.  
  
"Well, go on then, eat up."  
  
Harry eyed the mountain of eggs and toast before him before taking a small bite, he really wasn't hungry at all.  
  
Snape didn't look like he was about to leave. A hush fell over the Great Hall as Dumbledore signaled all teachers to the front table. He was going to make an announcement. Harry felt grateful for whatever news was coming, Snape was out of his hair for the moment and he wouldn't have to devour all the food on his own.  
  
Dumbledore stood up at the teacher's table. "Students, a matter of great importance needs to be addressed." Dumbledore halted, looking around gravely. "I'm sorry to say that dementors will have to be called to the school yet again." The hall broke out into angry chatter and the headmaster signaled for silence again. "I cannot explain this matter as of now, but these actions are being taken to ensure everyone's safety. The dementors will be arriving this afternoon and no one is to leave this castle for any reason. I do hope this matter is cleared up within a few days, but until then classes will be canceled." Harry gaped at Dumbledore, he didn't know Chloe's problems would affect the school this greatly. He gathered up the remainder of breakfast and quietly slipped away and back to Gryffindor Tower.  
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Chloe stepped out of the shower and dressed quickly. She suddenly felt short of breath and she noticed the amulet glowing brighter than usual under her sweater. The glow faded and she caught her breath again. She gave herself a little shake and replaced her other jewelry.   
  
Harry pushed open the door labeled "7th years" and entered his dormitory. Chloe's bag lay open near his trunk, the picture of her smiling mom was poking out the top. He was about to pick it up to inspect it again, but a slight noise behind him told him Chloe was there, he didn't want to be caught poking through her personal things, but there was something about that picture…  
  
"Wow, thanks, I'm famished," said Chloe, gesturing to the toast and eggs Harry had set on his trunk.  
  
"Sure" he said, nodding, "sorry we haven't a table up here, I wasn't sure if you'd like to eat downstairs or not."  
  
"No, no, this is fine, I'm a little shy, anyway."  
  
"Yes, well, shall we eat, then?" asked Harry, taking a seat on the floor near the trunk. Chloe sat too. Harry told Chloe of the announcement he'd heard at breakfast. Chloe shifted and looked worried.  
  
"Um, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah?" he answered, looking up from his breakfast.  
  
"Well, about the whole "soulmate thing", we don't really know each other, and this is all moving too fast…I just want to apologize for showing up here and causing such a ruckus and-"  
  
"No, no, don't worry, strange things always happen around here, it's a wizarding school, what can you expect…besides…I like having you here…" Harry blushed slightly after saying this, he was astounded at his own nerve.  
  
Chloe laughed and they both felt much more comfortable. Soon, they were having a conversation and they found out a lot more about each other.   
  
"You really put lemon juice on French fries?!" asked Harry, "I thought I was the only one!"  
  
"And I thought I was the only one who loved peanut butter ice cream" she said, laughing.  
  
It was nearly evening before they finally stood up, stretching their legs from sitting on the stone floor. Harry glanced at the clock above Ron's four poster, "Wow, look at the time, I'd better take these plates down to the great hall, it's dinner time anyway." "C'mon, we'll get dinner while we're down there."  
  
Chloe followed Harry to the door but he had stopped suddenly. "Something's wrong," he said, pulling out his wand. A cold had suddenly crept over the dormitory and the setting sun cast eerie rays of red light onto the floor, the room appeared to be growing darker despite the rays of sun. "Stay back" demanded Harry as his reached for the doorknob. It was icily cold under his grip as he flung open the door.  
  
Four dementors stood in the doorway, each pointing a knarled, bony finger at Chloe's throat.   
  
Sorry for the cliffhanger, this is the part where you REVIEW! See ya next chapter…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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